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Air travellers’ data to be kept for years

Security services within the EU could share 42 pieces of data on each passenger who flies in and out of the areaAndy Rain:EPA

All passengers flying in and out of Europe will have their personal details stored for up to five years in an effort to counter terrorism if a European Commission plan is approved.

The proposal would mean that security services within the EU could share 42 pieces of data on each passenger who flies in and out of the area, including home addresses, bank card details and whether they requested halal food.

A similar plan was blocked by the European parliament’s civil liberties committee two years ago. The revised proposal, according to papers seen by The Guardian, describes itself as a “workable compromise” between opposition in parliament and the EU interior ministers who want to see the data storage plan adopted.

In a joint statement issued…

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